


Lover Come Hold Me, Could You Forget

by BlueDarknessIceHeart



Series: Fire Starter//Ash Covered [2]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Arguments, Communication Issues, Domestic Disputes, Established Relationship, F/M, Making Up, Marriage of Convenience, Nudity, marriage discussions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-19 10:27:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13702602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueDarknessIceHeart/pseuds/BlueDarknessIceHeart
Summary: Trying to stop the crumble of his reign before it fully begins comes with a wife suited for the title of Countess, someone that could rule just as well, would halt every allegation of misused magic she'd heard under muttered breaths.Lucio hated her plan the second she brought it up, and his refusal to let it go is somehow worse than everything that was being thrown at them before she told him she wasn't the one he needed to marry.(Previously 'Should've kept your Heart down low'. )





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from Cringe by Matt Maeson, if anyone was curious :3

"So, feel any better?" it was a simple question, really. 

The way Lucio sighed, the crumple of his shoulders and the drag of fingers through his hair told her plenty. 

"No, no not really. I'm not - I'm not angry at you, no, but I don't feel any better about it." she pulled reached out a hand, and he collapsed into her. 

"I don't like it either, you know." it wasn't meant to comfort, despite the way she ran her fingers through his un-slicked hair. 

"That does not fucking help, 'Lia. Why push for it if you don't even like your own plan?" 

"Because _sometimes_ we have to do shit we don't like, Lucio." her hands smoothed down to his shoulders, thumbs pressing into tense muscle, gentle glow forming under her palms and she sighed. 

"Look, you can come with me-" 

"And leave Vesuvia to the _courtiers?_ " 

"Valerius is... at least capable of keeping the place running for a week." 

She felt the twitch of muscles in his back, something pulling in her chest. 

"Lucio?" Alia's voice was quiet, soft, a gentle question for a precarious situation. 

She feared he might break under her touch. 

The hard edge he tried to put into his voice never fully formed, the words falling bitter and angry and _hurt_ from him, "None of them, no matter who you find, will be you Alia." 

Alia was quick to move around in front of him, only to find eyes that wouldn't meet hers.

"Darling, look at me." 

Silver snapped to dark grey and she smiled, soft and sweet. 

She sank into him when he pulled her close, body curled into his lap. 

"I love you, no matter what - you ought to know this by now, Lucio." 

The disgruntled noise he made had her elbowing him. 

"I _know_ 'Lia, but what I don't know is why I need some noble instead of you." 

It was a thin, thin line that kept her from what she wanted - it always was. 

"Lucio, you're a relatively new Count that comes from nothing. You came in with me, a witch. You're good at battle, not politics. You need a," she _hated_ saying it, it felt like a knife in her lungs every time, "a wife that would bring that without the accusations of magic gaining you the influence or the position." 

"And what if those accusations come anyways?" 

Alia pressed her face into his shoulder with an near shriek of annoyance. 

"You didn't think about that did you, sweetheart?"

He sounded almost sympathetic. 

"No, no I didn't. I was too worried about-" 

"About covering for me?" the knowing arch of his brow had her huffing a breath through her nose. 

"Yes, as I'm wont to do. Silly emotions and such, making me prone to _caring_." 

The peppering of kisses down her temple and jaw to her lips shifted her frown to a small, faint smile. 

"So, if accusations of me abusing your magic may come either way, why not let me have what I damn well want?" 

"If you want me as your wife you know that won't work." 

The agitated growl behind her verbalized exactly how she felt. 

"And why _not,_ do you not _want_ to be-" 

"Lucio, love, I want nothing else than to do whatever we please - you know that. But we're in a position where that logic doesn't work anymore." 

He turned her towards him, the break in her voice drawing concern clear across his face. 

Alia wrapped her arms around him, his own curling around her waist and pulling the two of the further up the bed to lean against the pillows. He was used to her being the steady one, her body trembling under his hands with the effort of biting back everything throwing him off - the last time he could remember seeing her like this was when he'd nearly died _yet again._

"Alia." 

"Hmm?" it was a muffled noise, her face buried in the crook of his neck. 

"I've got you." 

She lifted her head, and he quickly wiped away the tears starting to move down her cheeks. 

His kisses were soft, and she let herself be shuffled under the covers of the bed. 

"Lucio." 

"Yes?" 

"You know I don't need a ring to be your wife, it's everything else that counts." she watched him, the crinkle to his nose as he made a face at her pulling a small laugh out of her. 

"But what if I want to show you off, shower you in everything I think might suit you?" she let her eyes close at the feeling of his fingers running through her hair as he spoke. 

"You do that anyways, darling. Showing me off the way I think you want to might be a little difficult with a wife around, but it's also you we're talking about and you have no heart for decorum." 

"I'm going to play nice and not be insulted." 

"Love, you know you don't play well by noble rules - it's not an insult if it's the truth."


	2. Chapter 2

Sometimes she questioned just how much she loved him, dealing with his bullshit, but she knew it went both ways. The rapid swing of going from holding a leash to being the one pulled back by the collar, it still didn't excuse the way he was pacing in front of her like a caged animal. 

"You have to actually listen to her sometimes, Lucio." 

"And why should I?" he hardly spared her a glance, bordering on yelling at her. 

Alia simply arched a brow from her spot in the chair, fingers curling into the arm as she leaned forwards. 

"Why should you? Because she is your _wife-_ " 

"Yes, the great wife I didn't fucking _want_ , Alia!" Lucio finally rounded on her, his shout bringing her out of her chair. 

"Oh yes! Keep pushing that fact, _Count Lucio_. If I'm such a cruel, disloyal witch in your court for pushing you to do something fucking good for the sake of your political status then _get rid of me_." her tone was cold, voice raising no louder than what she would usually use - the way she'd pushed out of her chair had sent it skittering across the floor and her into his physical space.

Lucio stared at her wide eyed, the only giveaway was in the quickness of her breath. He hadn't realized his jaw had dropped, mouth ajar as she waited, could see her fingers curling into her palms at her sides the longer he took.

"So the one time you have absolutely nothing to say-" her voice pitched up as he pulled her forwards, only for the hand on her hip to leave bright red scratches from how quickly he jerked his hand away in the recoil from her shoving him away. He didn't stop himself from colliding with the wall, Alia unflinching at the impact despite the poorly covered wince. 

"No! You're not going to keep pushing and pushing this until you get whatever it is you want - either me losing my fucking sanity or Nadia gone, Lucio!" she was yelling, gaze unwavering as she moved forwards once more. 

He could feel her anger in the air, sharp and crackling like the telltale sign of lightning. 

"Do you... want to leave?" he didn't speak until she stilled, and the tightness to her shoulders slowly dropped at how weak he sounded, the worry that he tried to hide. 

"No, I don't, but you keep making it seem like you want me _and_ Nadia gone in turn, and you know that doesn't - that doesn't exactly feel great, Lucio. You're a Count now, you have a wife now, you have to act like it sometime." 

Lucio didn't reach for her, simply pulled his shoulders away from the wall, stood up straighter. 

"We've been together how long, Alia?" it was a simple question, yet the silence that followed it almost made him feel sick. 

"I don't know - six years?" She ran a hand through her hair, and a flush rose to her cheeks. 

"Do you really think I'd want you gone?" 

"Lucio you do some _incredibly_ stupid shit, I don't know if you've noticed." the sharpness was back to her voice and he lifted his hands, palms out. Her eyes didn't quite meet his.

"Noted." 

"You have to at least pretend you want her around. You'll look better if you do." she was pinching the bridge of her nose, turning away from him. 

Lucio resisted the urge to reach for her.

"I look _incredible_ at all times, I don't know what you're talking about." 

"Your personality could use some shining, dear. It's looking a little worn." 

The door clicked shut behind her and he was left alone, hand rubbing at his shoulder as he stared at the door. Alia sat on the other side of it, Mercedes' head in her lap, pretending she didn't hear him pacing - or the glass shatter against the wall.


	3. Chapter 3

Being jostled awake when the door swung out from behind her wasn't what she expected, both dogs sprawled across her jolting upwards as she fell back. 

Alia blinked, rubbing at her eyes until her vision focused and Lucio became a clear image above her; puffy eyes rimmed with red and a certain slump to his shoulders. 

"Have you-"

" _No_." what was supposed to sound much more dignified came out scratchy, and Lucio cleared his throat.

"Luce." Alia pushed herself back up, the concern on her face evident. He wasn't particularly a crier, much more of the break things and quietly apologize in one of his own stupid ways types. 

"It wasn't _you_ stop making that face." He was still quiet, even as he bent down and scooped her into his arms. 

"Hey!"

"Hi." 

Lucio offered a tired smile, and Alia sighed, butting her cheek against his. 

"How long was I in the hall?" 

"Couple of hours." 

Alia took note of the shards of glass at least swept into a haphazard pile, of everything slightly out of place from where it was clearly thrown and decidedly put back where it was probably supposed to be. 

She saw what was clearly a forming bruise when he sat her down on the bed, and the look on his face when she stopped him, fingers knotted in his shirt to hold him still, told her she wasn't supposed to see it quite yet. 

"Did I hit you that hard?" 

"You? Never." the laugh wasn't more than a half-hearted attempt to try and soothe her beyond frayed nerves. 

" _Lucio_." 

He sighed, plopping down next to her and she pulled the shirt off of him, the bruise matching her hand almost perfectly. 

"Oh, love, I'm so sorry." 

Lucio grinned at her, even past the glow of her hand hovering where it had been hours earlier. 

"I apparently deserved it." 

"I mean. You _did_ but I didn't - I didn't mean to," Alia's eyes narrowed, focusing for a moment on the light around her fingers, "I didn't mean to actually _hurt_ you. I just didn't want you to worm your way out of a consequence with one of your typical moves." 

"You make it sound like I'm running out of ideas." 

"It's been a good number of years, darling. I think we know each other by now." 

She dropped her hand, the bruise gone and Lucio placed a quick kiss to her temple. 

"I'll...try. To be better."

It was something to break the quickly settling silence, and there was an earnestness to it.

"Trying is a good start. You're not the only one unhappy with the situation, but you can do a whole lot better with how you handle it and you know it." she let him pull her to him, his chin resting on top of her head. 

"I don't want you to leave." he was quiet, even with how close he was to her.

"That isn't-" 

"It _is_ , Alia." Lucio tightened his grip on her for a moment, a reflex he'd had for years. 

She leaned forwards, turning around in his arms when his grip loosened to face him. 

"The _point_ is that you need to get your shit together when it comes to Nadia and the whole Count thing. I love you too much to see all of this crumble under your feet." her voice was soft, thumb coming up to his cheek to brush at smudged paint on his face. 

It was quiet once more, Lucio clearly running over her words before Alia slid out of his grip, tugging him up off the bed with a small smile. 

"Come on, you're a mess." 

"Way to make me feel better, firecracker." 

"Lucio, I love you, but you have makeup smeared down half your face - I'm not going to lie to you." 

The appalled noise that came from behind her had her laughing, even as Lucio spun her around and kissed her. The smug grin on his face had her arching a brow at him. 

He tipped his head towards one of the mirrors the further they walked into the baths, and she snorted at the smudges on her face. 

"It's still not as bad as yours."

Alia ducked the pants that flew towards her head, the hope she was willing to sink her claws into shining through in her laugh. 

They'd been settled in the water long enough for both of them to have curled into each other when the comfortable silence was broken by Lucio. 

"You know you're not unwanted, right?" 

It had her opening half closed eyes, straightening up against his side. 

"Because if that's-"

Alia watched him, her heart feeling like it had crept into her throat. 

"I'm sorry, if that's how I've been."

Lucio's eyes met hers, and her smile was gentle as she leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek. 

"I forgive you, and I'm sorry too. For earlier." 

"Again, I kind of deserved it if you felt like leaving, 'Lia." 

Her fingers laced with his under the water as she tucked herself back against his side. He placed a kiss to her temple, past the drying strands of hair, and the soft "I love you" sunk into her like something meant to soothe aching wounds. 

"I love you too, Lucio." 

Her poorly stifled yawn as she slid further into the water had him laughing, even as he tugged her back up and nudged her out of the water. Walking back into the bedroom to two white piles on the bed had them both grinning.


End file.
